A Living Room Full Of Built-Ins & Windows

We have a certain soft spot in our heart for other owners of 1950’s ranches, especially when those owners also had to rescue their house from outdated decor. Take Maggie for example. She and her husband transformed their Texan living room into a comfortable and classic room that they are proud to call home. Here is her letter:

Hello The house team! Ever since I found your journal over a year and a half ago I have been hooked. My husband and I lately purchased a 1951 ranch in Texas that needed a lot of work. We knew it would require a lot of commitment, but we both enjoy do-it-yourself projects and knew that we could tackle it on our own. The room that needed the most assist was our living room, which looked more like an Italian restaurant than a cozy country cottage.

Our goal was for the space to feel organic, like it had been collected over time. We have found that by purchasing only the things that we enjoy, the space, in turn, feels more cozy than if we were to go to one store and buy a lot of coordinating items.

Here are some more tidbits about the makeover:

• The wall color is Olympic “Toasted Almond” in flat and the color on the trim, built-ins, and fireplace is Olympic “Ultra White” in semi-gloss.
  

• The decorations are from a variety of discounted home stores including TJ Max, HomeGoods, Tuesday Morning, Target, and even Walmart. We also found a lot of strong things at resale and antique shops.

• The curtains are in fact painter’s drop-clothes from Lowe’s. We knew we hoped something light and airy, but also knew we did not want to spend a ton of money since we needed 8 curtain panels. They fit ideal in the room, and the $9.99 price tag was not too shabby either.

I also hoped to share my dated dining room makeover as a bonus:

It feels so fresh and inviting thanks to more affordable items and ideas.

Simply hoped to send those pictures your way. Keep up the excellent blogging! You will are so inspiring! – Maggie from The Walton’s

Wow. It is hard to believe those are even the same rooms. And we enjoy that Maggie did not run the other way when she saw those spaces as they were “before.” We like how comfy and lived in everything looks now, and I particularly covet your vintage Pepsi-Cola box. Sherry will tell you I have a weird thing for old boxes and soda bottles, so you are lucky we live several states away or else you’d have to glue that down.